Heroes - by Faith

[0:00] And we're looking at Hebrews chapter 11.! It's been called the Hall of Faith.

[0:35] It's a record of men and women of God, remarkable faith heroes.

[0:48] Now sometimes you go into some old buildings like RSL halls or different things and there's plaques on the walls with people's names and somehow they've been remarkable in some fashion.

[1:02] I know leading on from what Peter was saying about times of war, they served our nation, they served in some service of high esteem and their names have been recorded on plaques and some of these places have still got some blank ones for the next heroes to be listed, to be recorded.

[1:25] Hebrews 11 is kind of like that I'll put to you that really, your name can be there too, as it were, by faith. Because that's what marks these men and women, these remarkable faith heroes.

[1:38] Heroes by faith. By faith. We've got that Hebrews 1, verse 1. Hebrews 11, verse 1. What is faith?

[1:50] What is faith? Faith is not something to be taken lightly or flippantly or carelessly. I've been encouraged in conversations with different ones who say, I'm not ready to become a Christian just yet.

[2:02] I've got to think this through. And that's a good thing to be so minded, that we're not taking this lightly. This is eternal stuff. This is your eternity.

[2:14] And it's not faith that you just, oh, I believe today and I don't believe tomorrow. This is faith. God's kind of faith.

[2:25] Faith that changes your destiny. Hebrews 11, verse 1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

[2:37] Let's pray. Lord, we thank you again for your word. Fill our hearts with your truth. Stir our souls to action. Put our feet into motion.

[2:47] Lord, let us be such a people as these people that we're reading of this morning. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Remarkable faith heroes. Faith is not something to take lightly.

[2:59] It's something to consider. It's something, as it tells elsewhere, our Lord says, if a man wants to build a building, he sits down and he accounts for the cost. There's a cost to being a Christian.

[3:11] Not so much in this notion, really, to speak of. But there is a cost in that. We're surrendering the old life and we're entering a new life. There's something of the old that stays behind, that doesn't continue from a point in time.

[3:26] The old is gone, the new has come. Therefore, if any man be encroached, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are becoming unique. It's like the caterpillar.

[3:42] Oh, I like being a caterpillar. You know, munching on the leaves and having a wow of the time. I just saw a caterpillar this morning in my garden. And, you know, people can be content to be a caterpillar.

[3:56] But when the change happens, wow, a butterfly. A new life, wow. I don't really care for that life that I used to have.

[4:09] Now I can fly. You know, that's the change, isn't it? The transformation, new creation, new creature. Now faith is the substance of things hopeful, the evidence of things not seen.

[4:20] What it's saying here, the meaning here is that we stand on our faith. There's a substance here. This is substantial. This is not flimsy, flaky, hope so. This is substance.

[4:32] Substantial. Something to plant your feet firmly on. That's the intent of this word here, of this substance. And it's talking that we're standing on our faith. We stand by faith.

[4:43] We stand on our faith. We've got grounds to stand on. The word of God is the grounds for our faith. We've got evidence we can believe in. This is evidence that calls for a verdict.

[4:55] Evidence of things not seen. It goes on to say, for by it, by faith, the elders obtained a good report.

[5:07] Now back at school, I used to like those good reports. And when I didn't get such a good report, I wasn't so keen on sharing that with my mum and dad. But these elders obtained a good report.

[5:19] They got A plus, you know. They got 100%, like our friend from Africa. They got a good report. 100%. 80 plus. They got a good report.

[5:30] Let's hear how they got a good report. Well, it comes to that. Through faith, it says, verse 3, Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

[5:48] Evidence of things not seen. You know, the evolutionists can say, oh, so many millions and millions of years ago, such and such happened. We can say, we're there. There are evidence of things not seen.

[6:01] Well, the point could be argued, as we know, very clearly. As many Christian scientists can clearly and strongly argue the case for a young Earth.

[6:12] And certainly, I just saw something recently, how in very ancient carvings and records, that people have drawn pictures of dinosaurs.

[6:26] They didn't have paleontology back then. They didn't have archaeology back then. But they had visions. They were with the dinosaurs. They were seeing the dinosaurs. That's why they could draw them.

[6:37] You know, this is evidence. This is evidence that can't be disputed. This is not some fanciful thing. They drew pictures of dinosaurs. And the evidence shouts to us of creation.

[6:53] By faith we understand God has created this world, the universe. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. He spoke and it happened.

[7:03] The word made the world, the universe. And we see examples of faith demonstrated here in the next few verses of Hebrews 11.

[7:15] We won't be able to colour them all in detail, but we'll try to walk through this chapter together. To see these examples of faith demonstrated, faith lived out in human experience.

[7:26] Real faith, living faith. Faith that's alive, lived out in human lives. And their testimony speaks to us today. Firstly, we see that faith worships.

[7:38] Now, some of these pictures are possibly copyright. I'm just sharing them. Just to get a graphic picture. I know as children looking through Bible stories, it's sometimes helpful to have a picture that can say a thousand words, really.

[7:52] And verse 4 tells us that by faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Abel and Cain, both offered sacrifices.

[8:06] It says that Abel offered an excellent sacrifice, a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts.

[8:16] And by it he being dead, yet speaketh. Abel and Cain. Abel still speaks to us today. This is right back in Genesis. Right back in the early chapter of Genesis.

[8:30] Abel and Cain both came to worship. Here was the first worship service in the Bible. It's good for us to worship biblically. To worship according to the Scriptures.

[8:42] Both men came to worship. To worship the same God. Both men brought an offering. But they differed in their offerings and in their motivation. Abel was the first man of faith.

[8:55] Recorded here for us. And God gave Abel his approval. Abel submitted to God's will and God's word. It's not stated, but we can understand that there was a necessary sacrifice.

[9:10] And here we see the blood. Right back here. In the first worship service was the blood. The blood sacrifice. Abel brought his firstborn. He brought his firstborn.

[9:24] In other words, his best. It cost him. Most of all, what set Abel apart from Cain was by faith. By faith.

[9:37] His worship was according to God's instructions. Now here in Hebrews, this word offering is used elsewhere in Hebrews. Some 11 times it's found in the book of Hebrews.

[9:48] The word offering here. He offered a more excellent sacrifice. This offering, through the book of Hebrews, always referred to a substitutionary atonement.

[10:01] In other words, a sacrifice that stands in our own place. A sacrifice on our behalf. That something else dies for us instead of us.

[10:15] It speaks of the cross, doesn't it? It speaks of Calvary. It speaks of the blood of Jesus. True biblical faith rests in this. In the Lord our God. Trusting in him.

[10:26] In God's promised way of salvation. Cain, on the other hand. Cain was an example of false religion.

[10:38] Of false worship. He did his own thing. His offering was human works. You know, you see here, picture Abel holding the lamb.

[10:50] That he would slay. Slaughter. The blood would pour out. The lamb would die. Cain was messing on the ground with veggies and fruit.

[11:03] As some kind of makeshift human effort. His worship was not according to God's instructions. It was human works.

[11:14] He did not give in faith. His offering was human works. It was the veggies and fruit that he dug and toiled and tilled and brought to fruit.

[11:25] He did not give in faith. He would not shed a lamb's blood by the will of God. Yet later, he shed his own brother's blood.

[11:36] In anger and rage. His worship was actually sinful. You've got to get the worship right. Cain's offering was bloodless.

[11:47] It was the work of his own hands. A product of the cursed ground. God said the ground is cursed for Adam's sake. Abel, on the other hand, offered a more excellent sacrifice.

[12:02] Cain was filled with envy and hate. That he murdered his own brother. That he murdered his own brother. Point is, faith worships. Second point, faith walks.

[12:15] Faith walks. We see this in verse 5. As we read on, on another hero of the faith. Notice of Enoch what it says.

[12:41] Enoch. By faith. Enoch. Enoch walked with God. And it tells of a translation.

[12:54] In other words, he was taken up. He was walking on the ground one minute. And then he was walking on air. He was translated.

[13:06] He was taken up. Taken away. Raptured. Lifted away from this planet. Pretty amazing to recount. That Enoch walked with God.

[13:20] And the word tells us in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 7. For we walk by faith, not by sight. Enoch knew this close fellowship with God. To walk with God. And you can too.

[13:32] I can. Walk with God. What does it speak of? To walk with someone. You know, when you walk arm in arm with someone. You walk with them and you talk with them.

[13:43] There's a closeness. There's a communion. There's a fellowship. Enoch knew this true delight. That secret place. The place of communion. You know, there's some who take time aside.

[13:56] And spend time in the secret place. They're walking with God. That's precious. That's precious. Enoch was the first man in the Bible.

[14:06] Of whom it says he walked with God. Genesis 5 verse 24. It says he walked with God. And he was not. For good God took him.

[14:17] One moment you could see him walking with God in fellowship. And then, wow, where's he gone? He's gone. Because God's taken him. God loves him to walk with man. That's what he wanted in the garden.

[14:31] With Adam and Eve. To have that sweet communion and fellowship. That closeness. Yet sin destroyed that intimacy. Yet, brother and sister, you can walk with God.

[14:42] You can walk with God. You can enter that wonderful dimension. To know God. To walk with him. To commune with him. And hear with you. And he speaks with us.

[14:53] He talks with us. He opens the scriptures to our understanding. Enoch knew a holy communion with God. A holy communion with God. With God.

[15:04] He walked faithfully with God. And so can we. The Bible talks about walking humbly with God. It talks about walking closely with God. And we can be a more useful Christian.

[15:16] As we just get that dimension. Wow. I can actually walk with God. I can actually know God personally. And that's transforming, isn't it? That just changes everything. To know God.

[15:28] It's that communion. That fellowship. That closeness to God. It's what he wants for all of us. He wants you to know him. And if we can walk with God. We can be a more useful Christian.

[15:39] And if you walk with God. You walk in God's direction. You walk in the right way. In the true way. Jesus says, I am the way. The truth and the life.

[15:51] No man cometh. Answer the Father. But by me. We can walk with God. Walk in God's direction. Walk in that life of holiness. And it's a walk.

[16:01] That is a blessed walk. It's a joyful thing. To know Christ. And him crucified. To walk with God. The book of Jonah says further about this man Enoch. It tells that Enoch prophesied.

[16:15] So in other words. Enoch was a Bible teacher. In a wicked world. The word Enoch. The name. Meaning of the word. The name Enoch. It means to teach. To train up.

[16:26] Or discipline. That's what Enoch was. He was a Bible teacher. He prophesied. He preached. He declared God's word soundly. And Enoch put his faith.

[16:38] In God. To walk with God. That's very precious. Very precious. And it says. That he was not. For God took him.

[16:49] It says here in Hebrews 11. That he was translated. He was taken up. So that's that he was walking with God. And his feet lifted off this planet. And he was taken.

[17:00] Now we can't. And my Bible's to. Try to comprehend that. But that's what it says happened. That he had such a close communion with God. That he walked with God. And he kept on walking.

[17:14] He had such a close communion with God. And that speaks to us today. And that speaks to us today. Light has no communion with darkness. Yet Enoch was in such harmony with God.

[17:27] He had such a testimony. There was a separation. It wasn't an irksome negative thing. His separation was a glorious thing. He was walking with God. And it didn't matter what.

[17:40] Everyone else was doing. He just wanted to be with God. To be with him. It says that Enoch began his walk with God. At the age of 65. So there's hope for you. If you're feeling like.

[17:51] Oh I'm still a youngster then. He walked with God. At the age of 65. He walked with God. That's when he was converted. That's when he was. When he trusted. When he was saved.

[18:03] And then it says he kept walking for 300 years. So he had a good long life span. And when you come to the end of your life. What greater recognition can it be.

[18:14] For it to be said of you. He walked with God. Wow. Wouldn't you like that to be. Your legacy. On your epitaph. At your.

[18:25] The dissertation. At your funeral. He walked with God. That means everything. Doesn't it? And he left this earth. In this triumphant translation. One day.

[18:35] During his. Three hundred and sixty fifth year. They just walked together. Into heaven. He walked with God. And he was taken. Him. The Bible says. We too.

[18:45] We'll be lifted up. Those who trust him. If we're alive. At the time of his coming. The Bible says. We'll be taken up. Glory. You're looking forward to that. The meeting in the air.

[18:56] That could be our next meeting. It might be before the six o'clock meeting. We might never get to that one. Because we'll be taken up. And we'll have the meeting in the air. Glory.

[19:07] Glory. It goes on to say. In Hebrews 11. Verse 6. But without faith. It is impossible. To please him. For he that cometh to God. Must believe that he is.

[19:18] And that he is a rewarder of them. That diligently seek him. What matters is faith. Not just any kind of faith. Now some people have faith in a tree.

[19:30] In certain countries. Don't they? Or they might worship the river. Or who knows what. Or who knows what. You can have. And some people have faith in their wisdom. They have faith in the philosophies.

[19:42] And the learnings of men. Some people have faith in the theory of evolution. Some people have faith. In what the university lecturer tells them. Without. Whoa.

[19:54] Hang on a minute. That doesn't sound right. We can have faith in God. Faith. Trust. A heartfelt. Grasping of God.

[20:04] That's faith. And without. Without that. It's impossible to please him. Now there's many. Wonderful people. They give their. You know. They give millions.

[20:14] In some cases. To charity. They. They. Are. Generous. And kind. And. And. Good hearted people. But without faith. It's impossible to please him. Faith is what matters.

[20:25] Faith in God. Trust in him. Believe that he is. And that he is a rewarder of them. That diligently seek him. Faith. That's faith.

[20:37] And without it we cannot please God. As much as we might try. As much as we might be a very. Decent. Wonderful person. Yet without faith.

[20:48] It's impossible to please God. Get that. That truth. That reality of faith. It goes on to say verse 7. Of. Now the man Noah.

[20:59] We've seen. As we've covered. Thus far. Faith worships. Abel's worship. Was. Right. It was rightful. Because it was by faith.

[21:10] We see faith. Walks. Enoch. Walked with God. By faith. And we can know that. Walk with God. He can walk with you. And talk with you. Along life's narrow way.

[21:21] We can walk in the light. We can walk in his truth. We can walk humbly with our God. Faith walks. And now we see. Thirdly. Faith works. Faith works. There's something that happens. When faith happens.

[21:31] In a human heart. We see in Noah's case. Faith works. It works. Verse 7. We read. By faith Noah. Being warned of God.

[21:42] Of things. Not seen as yet. Moved with fear. Prepared an ark. For the. Saving of his house. Of his household. Of his family. By the which he.

[21:53] Condemned the world. And became heir of the righteousness. Which is by faith. Now way back in the book of Genesis. Chapter 6. It tells that the earth was corrupt.

[22:06] And the wickedness of man. Was great. On the earth. But it says. Noah was somehow. Somehow different. Verse 8. Of Genesis 6. It says. But Noah.

[22:17] Found grace. In the eyes of the Lord. In a world full of wickedness. And corruption. The. The intense. The imaginations. Of man's hearts. Was so corrupt. And vile.

[22:28] It was such a wicked planet. Yet Noah. Stood. Out from the crowd. Noah found grace. In the eyes of the Lord. In other words. God looked on him. With grace. God was gracious.

[22:38] To Noah. In Genesis 6. Verse 10. It says. That. Like Enoch. Noah. Walked with God. It was the second man. That it says. Walked with God.

[22:49] Walked with the true God. He also had that special relationship. He was in constant communion with God. And God commanded Noah. To build an ark. Now. He was nearly 600 years old.

[22:59] At that time. So. There's hope for you. If you. If you. Don't leave it that long though. But he was nearly 600 years old. At that time. Again.

[23:09] In biblical days. Lifespans were enormous. He was warned of God. He was moved with godly fear. And he had a holy fear of judgment.

[23:20] Now. A preacher of old. Put it like this. Fear. He was moved with fear. In other words. He had a reverential awe of God. He knew the judge of all the earth.

[23:30] Was going to pour out. This judgment on the planet. He had a holy fear of judgment. And. This preacher of old. Puts it like this. Fear. Made Noah. Hew the trees.

[23:42] And square the trees. And wield the axe. And the hammer. Fear. Wrought in him diligence. And speed. It made him despise the observations. Of onlookers. And built for his life.

[23:53] In brave defiance. Of the spirit. Of the age. And of the judgment. Of the wise. Perhaps I speak to persons. Who are in fear of the wrath to come. I rejoice that you have faith enough to fear.

[24:06] Take it seriously. In other words. By the way of that faith. Which brought you into fear. You will be brought out of it. Believe God. In justice.

[24:17] Till you tremble. Then see that justice vindicated. In the suffering and death. Of the Lord Jesus. And rest in the mercy of God. Which through the cross. Comes justly down to guilty men.

[24:29] A holy fear. Will put wings upon your heels. And help you to fly to Jesus. Moved by fear. May you be drawn and driven. By the Lord Jesus. Noah was moved.

[24:41] By godly fear. God says he's going to. Pour out. His judgment. On the planet. Noah was moved. With his holy fear. Of judgment. Now the Bible speaks.

[24:52] Of the judgment to come. And it's not a judgment. Where your good works. Will outweigh your bad works. And somehow you'll just scrape in. Because you've been good enough. No. The only way to be good enough.

[25:04] For heaven. Is the blood of Jesus. Shed for you. Claimed by you. Trusted in by you. Noah had never ever seen a flood. Or rain before. We can see that.

[25:15] From Genesis 2 verse 5. Up until this time. There'd been no rain or flood. And people watching Noah. Probably thought. This man's nuts. He's building this great. Gigantic.

[25:26] Vessel. This ship. That. And he's preparing for some coming flood. What is. Going wrong with him. He's crazy. And Noah preached God's truth.

[25:38] It says. Some 120 years. He was preaching. You know. So. Brother and sister. If you're telling people about Jesus. And they're not coming to him. Keep going.

[25:51] Keep going. 120 years. Noah was described as a preacher of righteousness. 2 Peter 2 verse 5. And it says that Noah. And his family. Entered the ark.

[26:02] They were separated from the world. And the Lord shut him in. Bang. God shut the door. God says. Right. I'm closing the door. There's a time limit.

[26:13] To fleeing from judgment. He was saved. At his house. Noah's faith. Was such that it took God seriously. At his word. He condemned the faithlessness. Of the world around him.

[26:24] He condemned the world. God. In other words. Those who had mocked and scorned him. Ha ha ha. What are you doing you silly old man. Bouting an ark in the middle of a desert. What are you doing.

[26:35] You've gone nuts. He condemned the world. Those who had mocked and scorned him. They were condemned. Noah had believed God. He believed God had told him the truth.

[26:46] And as the rain fell. And the flooding waters rose. Someone had come up to that door. Oh let me in. Let me in. They might have come frightened.

[26:57] Coming to that door of the ark. But it could not be opened. God had shut it. There's a time limit. It is appointed unto men once to die.

[27:08] But after that the judgment. Don't leave it. Too late. Noah was saved. God shut him in.

[27:21] By faith. He built an ark. We've seen. Abel. Faith. Worships.

[27:33] We've seen. Enoch. Faith walks. Walks with God. And Noah. Faith works. Faith.

[27:43] Made Noah pick up the hammer and knives. Or whatever he had. Or such. That he constructed this vessel. By faith. There's many more stories.

[27:55] And people mentioned. And we won't cover these in detail. But we'll just talk through the remainder of the chapter just in brief. To get some other pictures here. Here's another picture of a man.

[28:06] Abraham. Another hero of the faith. Verse 8. It says. By faith Abraham. When he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance.

[28:18] Obeyed. Faith obeys. And he went out not knowing where he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country. Dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob.

[28:30] The heirs with him of the same promise. Here he is. A man. A sojourner. He's a traveller. He's passing through. Aren't we two?

[28:42] Australia's not my home. Heaven is. What's that? Not England either.

[28:52] No. That's a rubbish country. It's not Great Britain anymore. No. There's no country to compare. There's a better country. A better country. A heavenly country.

[29:03] That's what Abraham looked for. Verse 10 of Hebrews 11. It says. And he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Abraham.

[29:16] By faith. He looked for a city. Are you looking for that city? Amen. Oh, wouldn't it be glorious? Won't it be? A glorious city.

[29:27] Because its builder and maker is God. Verse 11. Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed. And was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised.

[29:40] Sarah. By faith. Was made a mother. In her older years. Verse 12. Therefore sprang there even of him.

[29:52] Of one. And him as good as dead. Is as good as dead this Abraham. Yet a father. Father. And as God's promised. As the stars of the sky in multitude. So would be those of his lineage.

[30:09] Verse 13. These all died in faith. Not having received the promises. But having seen them afar off. And were persuaded of them. And embraced them. Confessed that they are strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

[30:20] Brother. Sister. You're a stranger here. This is not your country. This is not your land. This is not our home. We're strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

[30:32] We're looking for a city. Like Abraham. Verse 14. For they say. They that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly. If they had been mindful of that country.

[30:43] From whence they came out. They might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country. That isn't heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.

[30:54] For he hath prepared for them a city. I'm a refugee. I'm a refugee. I'm looking for a refuge. I'm looking for that refuge. God is my refuge and strength.

[31:06] He is that heavenly better. That heavenly city is his. And it's mine by faith. And it's yours by faith. If you'll trust him. And the Bible says we're strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

[31:18] But we're looking for a country. A city. A country that is a better country. A better city. And heavenly. And God has prepared for them. A city.

[31:29] Verse 17. We see of Abraham. As he gave birth to Isaac. Now God challenged him and tested him. Take Isaac.

[31:41] Up the mountain. And offer him. A sacrifice. Wow. That must have shocked Abraham.

[31:52] This is my son. The son of promise. My firstborn. Of faith. By faith Abraham when he was tried. Offered up Isaac. And he that had received the promises.

[32:05] Offered up his only begotten son. Of whom it was said that in Isaac. Shall I see be called. Accounting that God was able to raise him up. Even from the dead. From whence also he received him.

[32:17] In a figure. So it's a kind of a figure. A picture. It was a picture of the one who had died. On that same mountain range. The same mountain range. Of Mount Calvary.

[32:28] In effect it was the same mountain range. If not the very place. Where the Lord Jesus was. Nailed. And crucified. For man's sin. It was a picture again.

[32:39] As the blood of the lamb of Abel. The blood. Of the ram. That replaced Isaac. That substitution for Isaac. God provided a ram.

[32:50] In the thicket. To be a substitute. In place of Isaac. At the last moment. God intervened. And gave deliverance. And provided a substitute.

[33:01] For Isaac. It says. Verse 20. By faith. Isaac blessed Jacob. And Esau. Concerning things to come. There was further.

[33:13] Sons. And daughters. By faith. Jacob. When he was dying. Blessed both the sons of Joseph. And worship. Leaning upon the top of his staff. Joseph. Is another picture. Of God.

[33:23] Working through a human life. It's just touched on in this chapter. By faith. Joseph. When he died. Made mention of the parting. Of the children of Israel. And gave commandment. Concerning his bones. So it says that Joseph.

[33:36] As he was about to die. He says. Look. Take my bones to Israel. He had faith. That they would return to Israel. Even in Egypt. As his bones were.

[33:47] Laid to rest. For a time. He said. Take them with you. He believed. That they would enter Israel. Imagine that. They were carrying this big sack. Or bag.

[33:57] Or box. Or something. Of bones. Joseph's bones. He believed God. Such that he wanted his bones buried. In that nation. In the promised land. By faith.

[34:08] Joseph. And then we see another man. Of God. Was Moses. Verse 23. It says. By faith. Moses. When he was born. Was hid three months. Of his parents.

[34:18] Because they saw. He was a proper child. And they were not afraid. Of the king's commandment. The king's commandment. Was slaughter the boys. Kill the firstborn. And.

[34:30] Moses. Was hidden for a time. And then he was laid in the. Basket. In the river. And. Was saved. As we know. By the princess of Egypt.

[34:41] Such that she raised him. But verse 24. It goes on. That by faith. Moses. When he was come to years. Refused to be called. The sons of Pharaoh's daughter. Choosing rather to suffer affliction.

[34:51] With the people of God. Than to enjoy the pleasures of sin. For a season. And esteeming the riches. Greater. Sorry. Esteeming the reproach of Christ. Greater riches. Than the treasures of Egypt.

[35:03] For he had respect. Under the recompense. Of the reward. He saw that. That time. Of reproach. That time. Where he was amongst. The people of God. As one of the slaves.

[35:13] Of the. Nation of Egypt. As the Egyptian pharaohs. Disused them. As lackeys. To carry their bricks. And build their. Monoliths. And structures. And statues.

[35:24] And pyramids. He esteemed that. At greater. Riches. That. To bear the reproach. Than all the treasures of Egypt. He could have had. He could have lived in the lap of luxury.

[35:35] In the palace of the pharaoh. But by faith. He refused that. He refused that. Choosing rather. To be with the people of God. To suffer affliction. And that's what happens in many countries.

[35:46] Around the world. If you become a Christian. It's a death penalty. You're a marked man. And you might. Might only face. Days before. You're taken out.

[35:59] In. Yet. The affliction. With the people of God. Is greater treasure. Than the. Than the treasures of Egypt. And by faith.

[36:09] Moses. He refused. And then in verse 27. It says that. By faith. He forsook. He forsook. Egypt. Not fearing the wrath of the king.

[36:21] For he endured. Seeing him who is invisible. Again. Faith. Sees things that are invisible. Faith. Is the evidence of things not seen. He forsook Egypt. The people of God. They. By faith.

[36:31] They left Egypt. And through faith. They were taken through the. The. Red sea. It says. Through faith. He kept the Passover.

[36:43] And the sprinkling of blood. Lest he that destroyed the firstborn. Should touch them. By faith. They passed through the Red Sea. As by dry land. Which the Egyptians.

[36:55] Are saying to do. Trying to do. Were drowned. Moses. Forsook Egypt. He saw him who was invisible. And notice too.

[37:06] That common thread. Through faith. He kept the Passover. He kept the Passover. And the sprinkling of blood. Abel's sacrifice. Blood.

[37:19] Noah. When he got out of the ark. Gave the blood sacrifice. Abraham. Cain's of the mount.

[37:31] Offering. Isaac. God gave the substitute. The ram. As a blood sacrifice. Moses. Kept the Passover.

[37:43] The sprinkling of blood. The blood sacrifice. Then we go on. Verse 30. Another hero. By faith. The walls of Jericho. Fell down. After they were compassed about.

[37:54] Seven days. Now the story here. Is the city of Jericho. The enemy city. The people of God. Went around seven times. And then another time. And the walls fell.

[38:06] They did that by faith. They didn't have some battering ram. Or some secret weapon. Well maybe they did have a secret weapon. God. God brought the victory to them.

[38:19] It's interesting that in this recount of Hebrews 11. It's not mentioning the name of Joshua. Who was the king at this time. Interesting. Joshua is not named here. But one person is.

[38:31] Verse 31. By faith. The harlot. Rahab. Perished not with them that believed not. When she had received the spies with peace. So interesting.

[38:41] Joshua the king. The leader of the nation was not mentioned. Yet. The Bible praises a prostitute. Wow. The harlot Rahab.

[38:55] What's so good about Rahab? She's a sinner. Obvious. Obvious what she is. A Gentile. Not even part of the nation of Israel. A sinner.

[39:07] A harlot. The battle of Jericho was won by faith. By faith. The city. The walls fell. By faith. The walls of Jericho fell down.

[39:19] The battle was not won by a man. Joshua. Was won by faith. And likewise too. Your battles will be won by faith. Trust in God.

[39:30] Rahab. Rahab. Here was this Gentile woman living in a pagan city. Her home was built into the wall of this ancient city of Jericho. This was over 3,000 years ago.

[39:43] And notice this. What saved Rahab. Rahab's scarlet cord was assigned to the Hebrew armies as they came to spare her and her family.

[39:56] Because she did not put her faith in the walls, but in the God of Israel. And when she encountered two Hebrew spies, they come to scout the city.

[40:06] She chose to be on the winning side. And the mention of the scarlet thread is significant here. This is Joshua 2. Two spies had been sent in to Jericho in advance of the Israelites' taking of the city.

[40:18] And the spies were hidden in Jericho by Rahab. She hid them, expressing her faith in Israel's God, protecting the spies. And Rahab allowed the Hebrew spies to escape Jericho by letting them down through her window.

[40:32] So, as her house was in the wall, she put down this cord, this scarlet, this cord colored of red. She let it down through her window.

[40:44] And the spies were able to escape to safety. And as they departed, the spies told Rahab, Tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window.

[40:56] We see that in Joshua 2, verse 18. That this was the promise for her and her household to be kept safe in the coming invasion. And by faith Rahab obeyed.

[41:06] She tied the scarlet cord in the window. Verse 21. The scarlet cord. The scarlet cord. It represents redemption.

[41:17] It represents the blood sacrifice. It represents the blood of Jesus. This red blood. This red cord. Speaks of Christ again. So, Hebrews 11 is really Christ, isn't it?

[41:31] It's Christ at work from beginning to end. It's faith in Christ. It's faith in the blood of Jesus. And this foretold the Lord Jesus strung out hanging for us on Calvary's hill.

[41:43] As that scarlet cord hung down from the window. It represents for us that glorious promise of God. That we can find faith. We can find saving faith.

[41:55] We can find redemption and salvation from our sin. Because of the blood of Jesus. And Rahab was mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord. Such that she was honoured.

[42:05] Such that she became one of the parentage line of the Saviour. These all had God's approval. Verse 32 we read on.

[42:17] I'll just gloss this part here. Of other names listed. In this hall of faith. These plaques on the wall. As you walk down this glorious chamber. That has these plaques on the wall.

[42:29] You see various names here. That are just named. And what shall I say? What more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell. Of Gideon. And of Barak.

[42:40] And of Samson. And of Jephthah. And of David. Also of Samuel. And of the prophets. It is named. But these are all tremendous stories in their own stead.

[42:51] Verse 33. Through faith subdued kingdoms. Who wrote righteousness. Obtained promises. Stopped the mounds of lions. These are tremendous acts of faith.

[43:06] I was just. By chance. I was reading something. I was saying. How. How a lion's jaws. I just. There's just no escaping them. If a lion wants you for breakfast.

[43:18] There's no stopping in. But it says here. They stopped the mounds of lions. Wow. You know. The jaws of a lion. Just. They're just.

[43:29] So. Powerful. Yet. They stopped the mounds of lions. Daniel in the lion's den. Think of these ones. Verse 34. They quenched the vines of fire.

[43:40] They set the edge of the sword. Out of weakness were made strong. Waxed valiant in fight. Turned to flight the armies of the aliens. There's a sense where. They. They were equipped and empowered.

[43:52] Enabled by God in battle. Verse 35. Women received their dead race to life again. Others were tortured. Not accepting deliverance. That they might attain a better resurrection.

[44:02] You know. Elijah raising. The. The child's alive. We see. Yet. Even those who are tortured. Are named. That they might obtain a better resurrection.

[44:15] Wow. Faith is the victory. That overcomes the world. The scarlet thread. The blood of Jesus. It's right through the Bible. This is the victory. That overcomes the world.

[44:26] Even our faith. Glory. To God. Verse 36. Others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings.

[44:37] Yeamed moreover of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn asunder. In other words they were cut in half. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword.

[44:48] They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins. Being destitute. They didn't have the prosperity gospel back then. They were destitute. Afflicted. Tormented.

[44:59] Of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts. And in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth. And these were all having obtained a good report. A good report. A plus plus.

[45:13] A good report. Through faith. They received not the promise. God having provided some better thing for us. That they without us should not be made perfect.

[45:24] We receive even more. We've got the promise of God. That even the Gentiles can be saved by faith. We've got no birthright. We've got no entitlement of heritage.

[45:38] It's by faith. Just like it was for Rahab. It was the scarlet cord. Will you be the next hero? Will you be the next hero? It's a replant that's got your name.

[45:49] Just getting prepared to. Brother, sister. It's by faith. And faith takes action. Noah built. Abraham left. Jacob blessed.

[46:00] Joseph instructed. Moses chose. Joshua fought. Rahab put the cord out the window. And these all obtained a good report.

[46:11] By faith. Hebrews 11. They're just ordinary people.

[46:22] It's just some thousands of years before. We are in their tread. We are in their stead. We are in their trail. We walk in their shoes. In their journey.

[46:33] We're in the same accord as the people of God. And we have the same God. Let's make sure the worship's right.

[46:47] Amen. Not Cain's but Abel's. Worship by faith. The blood sacrifice. That's why we care about the blood of Jesus. That's why we emphasise the blood of Jesus in this church.

[46:58] We emphasise the blood. Because we've got to worship right. Faith worships. Faith walks like Enoch.

[47:10] We can walk with God. It means when you leave here. You don't suddenly lose your Christian thinking. And you just leave it all behind until next time we get together.

[47:22] You put your Bible away so it sits on the shelf. Just have nothing to do with God until the next meeting. No. We don't go from meeting to meeting. We're walking with God.

[47:33] We're walking with God. Day by day. Moment by moment. Hour by hour. In your workplace. In the school place. Wherever you are. You're walking with God. Faith walks.

[47:47] And faith works like Noah. It works. Christianity works. It works in the real life. In the day by day. It's action. Our faith takes action.

[47:59] And we'll get a good report. Not because, hey, you're a good guy or a good girl. Because you try really hard. But your faith made the difference.

[48:11] It wasn't Rahab's credentials that saved her. It was the cord. It was the scarlet cord. It was the scarlet thread. It was the blood of Jesus that saved her. The blood of Jesus that saves us still.

[48:24] And I urge you today. Urge you. Urge you. Urge you. Faith is the substance of things hopeful. The evidence of things not seen.

[48:36] That we can see beyond what we can see. Beyond the tangible. To know the eternal. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you that you put faith into human hearts.

[48:46] You give us grace. And you open us with grace. Lord, you open your eyes and you look on us with grace. Like you did with Noah. Lord God, may you look with us.

[48:57] Look upon us with grace. That we can find the ark. The safety. That we can flee to refuge. Not so much to a land. As a refugee.

[49:08] But to the very refuge that you are to us. That we can take shelter. And find safety. And safe keeping. In your care for us. Lord, if there's any yet to trust you.

[49:20] That each one, this moment, might just recall the blood. The blood of Jesus. That it's what made the worship right.

[49:32] And it makes everything right. In our hearts. In our future. It gives victory. That faith. In your saving work of the cross.

[49:43] That we can know a wonderful, glad reward. Not by virtue of good works. But by virtue of the good work.

[49:54] That you have done for us. At the cross. Lord, help us to put our faith and trust squarely and entirely in that. In that alone. To save. To keep.

[50:04] To leave us. Lead us. In this life we live. Such that we can walk with you. Day by day. Till one day. The next step will be.

[50:15] Into the air. As we enter eternal. That eternal dimension. Of living with you. Face to face with our saviour.

[50:26] Help us, Lord. To put our trust in you. In Jesus' name. Amen.